


Lions in the Rain

by hazelnuthuntress



Series: Roar of a Lion [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-22
Updated: 2018-10-11
Packaged: 2019-07-01 01:54:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 17,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15764211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hazelnuthuntress/pseuds/hazelnuthuntress
Summary: -sequel to Across the Stars for You-Not long after Lance and Pidge's first date, the paladins receive news that Zarkon is dead. Now that the war is over and Lotor is crowned Emperor of the Galra Empire, Voltron and the Galra can finally fix the rift that has been between them for millenia.That is, until the black lion show Lance and Pidge something they never imagined possible.





	1. Prologue

P I D G E

 

"Katie? Are you in here?" 

 

"Yep! Just open the door, Dad," I called from my place in Green's hangar. I'd been touching up her tech when Dad knocked on the door. 

 

My father, gray-haired and amber-eyed, walked in carrying a box full of black, rectangular objects. He dropped the box at my feet, looking at the work on Green I'd been doing. "She needs a new coat of paint, if anything."

 

I heard Green growl in the back of my mind, muttering something about how  she  wasn't the one who needed a change in appearance. I smiled at her snarky commentary and shook my head. "Sure, Dad, I'll ask her."

 

He never quite understood how us Paladins felt literally telepathically connected with our lions. I suppose he still looked at all this metal as just that: metal. Not a wise being that seemed to have a mind if its own, but a non-sentient robot. "You know how I said I'm leaving for Earth soon, right?" Dad asked. 

 

I nodded, my smile disappearing. It felt like not long ago, we'd rescued him. He seemed to fit in with the rest of us. He loved it here, I knew he did, with the way he enthusiastically pored over every piece of technology on the ship as if it was a brand new toy and soaked in every fact of alien culture. He was a kid in a candy store here.

 

But he knew as well as I did that no matter how exciting life out here in space was, it never beat sitting at the dinner table with Mom while we talked excitedly about Matt's endeavors to get into the Garrison. Nothing could take away that yearning in his heart to be home. Or mine.

 

"Well, I found these old recording devices similar to the tapes we have back home, and I thought that you kids could each record something for me to bring back to our families," Dad said. "I could personally visit each family—"

 

"I don't know, Dad," I said. "Hunk's family lives in Hawaii last I remember."

 

"Then I'll ship it," Dad said. "Can you make sure everyone gets these?"

 

I nodded, taking one in my hand. "When are you leaving, then?"

 

"Tomorrow," Dad said. 

 

"Tomorrow? But that's so soon!" I could already feel tears stinging at my eyes just thinking about it. 

 

"Katie, you knew about this since I got here." He pulled me into a hug, patting my back. "I'm sure you guys will return home soon, right? The tables are turning in your favor."

 

"Soon? Who knows how long I've been gone, Dad?" I said, my voice cracking. "Soon isn't soon  enough !"

 

"I know, trust me, I know," Dad whispered, stroking my hair. He pushed me forward to look me in the face. "But Katie, you cannot break yourself like this. Miss your mother, okay? But this is the time if your life and your mother doesn't want you wasting it lamenting her absence. Make the most out of this. Now, I want those taps by midnight, okay?"

 

I nodded, feeling a bit chagrined at what Dad had said. I took the box of taps and set them aside, grabbing the wrench I'd put down. I wanted him to leave— not  leave , leave, just get out of the hangar— because I was angry that he wanted to leave us. Makes no sense, really, but at that moment, I wanted to sulk by myself. 

 

"Okay, well, I'll let you finish your repairs, honey," Dad said, turning to the exit. "I love you."

 

"I love you, too," I mumbled half-heartedly. Green purred with sympathy, trying to comfort me. 

 

I shook my head, letting out a big breath. "It's okay, Green. We'll be home, soon."

 

Right?

 

—-

 

L A N C E

 

"Uno!" I yelled, waving my one flimsy 'card' around. I grinned at Hunk and Keith, who had rolled their eyes for not the first time, but the hundredth.

 

"Lance, that's like the tenth uno you've called," Hunk said nonchalantly, looking through his own cards. 

 

"Yeah, and each time, I bring out one of my  danger cards  to stump you," Keith added. 

 

We had gotten bored, and in our free time, hand made an Uno deck out of paper. So here we were, the three of us, playing makeshift Uno in the kitchen. 

 

"Whatever," I said, smirking. "You won't get me this time."

 

Hunk raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? Then put your card down."

 

Ah, there it was. My remaining card was a yellow five, and the top card on the pile was a blue two. Groaning, I began to pick up cards from the other pile until I had a playable card.

 

"Told you~!" Hunk sang. 

 

Keith placed down a Plus Four and muttered, "Red," then gave the slight shadow of a smile.

 

"Keith, I thought we were friends!" When Hunk picked up four cards, he then smiled. "Ah... I see what you did there."

 

Hunk turned to me and with the most evil glare the boy could harness, he slapped down a reverse card. 

 

Right as I was opening my mouth to whine about how unfair they were being, Allura burst in the kitchen, her eyes glinting with something like fire. 

 

"Come to the control deck. All of you," she said, panting.

 

We dropped our cards and followed her, but I lingered behind a moment longer.

 

"Lance, stop  looking  at our cards!" Keith called from in front of me. 

 

I sighed, my shoulders sagging in mock sadness. "Aww." But I followed the four anyway, running to keep up. Allura stopped at the control deck, trying to compose herself. She strolled in and we followed suit, my curiosity peaked at the large, black lump in the middle of the floor. Lotor and Honerva stood nearby, their faces stoic.

 

"Allura," Lotor greeting, dipping his head.  With alarm, I had noticed he dropped the word  Princess,  as if their relationship was too intimate even for niceties. 

 

"Lotor," she said back, her gaze growing dreamy. Oh yeah. There was  definitely  something between them. "Please explain to the paladins what this is here?"

 

Katie came up beside me, holding my arm.

 

Lotor tried to smile, show anything other  than the emotionless stare he'd been harboring, but I could tell he wasn't feeling it. 

 

"This, paladins, is the body of Zarkon."

 

 

 

 

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	2. Pidge

We stood, speechless. How could it have been that easy? Was Zarkon really dead?

 

"How— how do we know that's his body?" I asked skeptically. 

 

"Would you like to see?" Lotor asked, beginning to unzip the bag. 

 

"No! No, I'm... fine," I said, feeling my stomach already protest at the sight of something revolting. "So, what now?"

 

"Well, the Empire needs a new leader, and if we want any sort of control over the Galra to keep this war from happening all over again, we need to make sure Lotor makes the cut."

 

"There's a certain ceremony I need to be present for," Lotor said. "I need to literally fight for my throne." 

 

"That ceremony is today," Allura said. "Lotor, Keith, and I will be attending in the blue lion."

 

I watched as Keith's eyes went wide. "Me? Why am I going?" 

 

"Because you are our fastest asset at the moment," Allura answered. "In the case of an emergency, you will be essential in keeping our mission together."

 

In any other situation, I thought Keith would've been flattered that Allura had complimented him like that. Instead, Keith's eyebrows furrowed in frustration. 

 

"Princess, wouldn't Keith be more useful elsewhere?" Ezor spoke up. She blinked at Keith almost fondly. 

 

"Elsewhere?" Allura questioned, raising an eyebrow.

 

"Keith is way too violent, and in the situation that the atmosphere is tense, he'd be most likely to mess things up and create disaster," Ezor said. 

 

Keith glared at her, dark eyebrows furrowed together. "What?! I am  not—"

 

"You're right, Ezor," Allura agreed. "Keith, you can stay here. After all, it's not long before you return to the Blade again. It'd be cruel of me to steal your time from your friends."

 

"Thank you, Princess," Keith grumbled before stomping off. 

 

"So much for spending time with fr—" I elbowed Lance in the side, watching curiously as Ezor seemed to shift uncomfortably in her spot beside Zethrid and Acxa. 

 

"What?" Lance whispered, leaning closer to me as Allura, Lotor, and Hunk discussed the ceremony. 

 

"Look at Ezor," I whispered back. "Did she make up that stuff about Keith just to keep him out of the mission?"

 

"I mean, she wasn't wrong..." 

 

"Lance!" 

 

"Okay, okay. She obviously sees the tension between Keith and Allura—" Lance started. 

 

"Tension?" I questioned.

 

"Yeah, didn't you know Keith is like in love with Allura?" 

 

"No, I didn't, but I guess it makes sense." Everything Keith did previously before Lotor showed up... the small smiles, the looks. It all made sense.

 

"Well, there's definitely something between Lotor and Allura, and Keith knows it. Sticking all three in one lion would just be utter chaos."

 

"So how does Ezor know about this and I don't?" I asked, studying the pink alien suspiciously. 

 

"Katie, you aren't exactly a people person," he replied, shrugging. 

 

——

 

"So what did you want to show us, Pidge?" Hunk asked as I set the box of empty tapes on the kitchen counter. 

 

"My dad found these, and since he's going back home, he wants to send each of our families news of our safety," I said, handing out the tapes. "So on these, you can say whatever you want, and he'll make sure it gets home."

 

Hunk held his tape to his chest, his eyes glistening. "My mom must be so worried... I miss cooking with her."

 

"And mi abuela," Lance said beside me, his voice cracking. "She...  estuvo enfermo when I left earth, and... I don't know if she's still alive."

 

"My mother probably thinks her whole family is dead," I said sadly, thinking,  How long has it been? Has she moved on?

 

"Let's record these now, and get them over with," Lance said. "I... I don't want to think about this any longer." He turned away, heading to his room, but I caught a tear trickling down his cheek. 

 

——

 

K E I T H

 

I sat on my bed, twirling my mother's blade in my hand. I knew it was hers. My father had given it to me when I was little and said it was my mother's.

 

Whoever she was. 

 

I wanted nothing to do with that mission. Was Allura really that blind? Or did she want to shove in my face that she chose Lotor and not me? 

 

But then Ezor had to interrupt, and completely humiliate me in front of Allura. What'd she do that for? I thought... I thought after that night on the observation deck, she was my friend. 

 

"Keith?" There was a knock at the door, and I groaned.

 

"Go away, Ezor," I said, rolling over on my bed. 

 

"Come on, I know you're mad at me, but just let me explain," she called from outside the door. 

 

I sighed, chucking my knife with perfect accuracy towards the touch sensitive pad that opened the door. It landed with a thick thud in the wall, little electric shocks sprouting like roots from the metal. Ezor peered at the dagger with interest.

 

"Impressive," she murmured, poking at the dagger. "You do this a lot?"

 

"No," I grumbled. "Just when people bother me."

 

"Well, excuse me grumpy, but I wanted to apologize," Ezor said. "I didn't mean what I said, I just wanted to get you out of that situation."

 

"Why?"

 

"Because we're friends, remember? Friends help each other," Ezor replied.

 

"But I haven't helped you."

 

"Not yet," she said. "C'mon, tell me about yourself."

 

"I'm Keith." 

 

"Hi, Keith! I'm Ezor," she replied happily, a big smile on her face. "No, I mean... give me some facts. What about your parents?"

 

"My dad's on Earth," I replied hesitantly. "And I don't know where my mom is. She's not human, that's all I know. I assume she's part Galra. I'm part Galra. And, she was part of the Blade at some point. Dunno if she's still alive, though."

 

"Oh," Ezor said, taking the little tendril on her head and stroking it like hair. "My parents were killed by Zarkon for some petty crime, and I was taken in by Lotor as a general. I owe him my life."

 

"Can we not talk about him?" I felt bad about her family history, but I felt my blood boil at Lotor's name.

 

"Yeah, sure. Sorry. Do you have a favorite childhood story?" Ezor propped her chin on her hands, leaning forward like a little girl. 

 

"Um," I said, trying to think. Childhood? That felt forever ago. "Well, there  was  this one time I went to a trampoline park with my dad and tried to duel these kids, but after sending one kid flying five feet in the air and straight into the foam pit, I scared the other kids away."

 

She was chuckling beside me, her hand covering her mouth. I felt my spirits lift a little at seeing that I'd made someone laugh and not just scowl back at me. "Oh, Keith!" She shook her head.

 

"And after a bunch of parents came up to my dad and complained about me scaring their kids, he took me out for ice cream."

 

She keeled over laughing, her pink tendril swinging like a ponytail. At that moment, I forget all about Allura.

 

Princess? What princess?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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	3. Pidge

Mom... I've missed you so much. Everything I've been through... it's been an incredible experience. But I'd give anything to see you again.

 

I was rehearsing in my head what I was going to say on my tape. I didn't want to say just  anything.  This was important to me. I pressed record. Then I began speaking, hoping my brain allowed the words to come out, to match the way I felt.

 

"I got a space boyfriend!" I blurted, then immediately face palmed. "What am I saying..." I was nervous. Butterflies rushed through my stomach like a twister. "There's no going back now. Hey, Mom. I'm still alive and so are Matt and Dad! I remember thinking it was impossible that they were dead; the Garrison was hiding something..." 

 

So I went on a spiel about space and everything that happened since I left Earth, sometimes forgetting details and having to go back and fill in the gaps. Anybody listening to this would probably be completely lost with the way my timeline went in loops and circles. I told Mom about all the incredible technology I'd seen— like Rolo's robot and the Olkari's jungles of tech. I imagined her sitting right beside me, having not the slightest idea of what I was saying, but listening anyway because she loved us. 

 

I guess I'd been talking for hours, because Lance came in and told me to go to sleep. 

 

"Huh?"

 

"It's nearly four in the morning, Katie," he said softly, turning off the recorder. I guess I was finished. "You need some sleep."

 

"But..." I protested weakly, but the pulls of fatigue were getting to me. 

 

"Shh, just close your eyes," Lance said softly, wrapping his arms around me and resting his head on mine. "We can't have a tired Katie, can we? A tired Katie is a grumpy Katie."

 

I remember falling asleep with giggles echoing in my ears.

 

——

 

"Rise and shine, lovebirds," Hunk called, pounding my door. I woke up with a dreary yawn, still in Lance's embrace. I blinked a few times, trying to keep the sleep out of my eyes. "Oh, Pidge, you're father wants those tapes."

 

I jumped up, knocking my head on Lance's. We both began rubbing our heads, wincing.

 

"Sorry," I mumbled. "Do you have your tape ready?"

 

I grabbed mine off of the desk beside my bed and looked at it carefully. This tape would be seeing my family before I would. 

 

"Yeah, lemme go get it," Lance said, ruffling my hair on the way out. 

 

We both met in the hallway, walking to the dining room for breakfast. Dad was leaving soon. I wouldn't see him again for... who knows how long. I felt my heart start to crack, but I managed to suck it up until he left.

 

"Good morning, everyone," Dad greeted from the dining table. We were sitting together, Lance beside me. It felt odd having Lotor, his generals, and Honerva there as well. Not to mention Matt. 

 

"Buenos días, Señor Holt," Lance greeted. "Cuando dejas?"

 

"Después del desayuno," he responded, shoving some weird creation of Hunk's into his mouth. I guess he made something special for my dad's departure. 

 

"Can we speak in English, please? I can't understand you two," I whined, poking Lance.

 

"Fine," Lance said, pouting. "But do you know how  long  it's been since I could speak my own language and someone could understand me?"

 

"Too long," I muttered. I gazed at my father, tapping my fingers absentmindedly on the table. "When do you leave, Dad?"

 

"After breakfast, honey," he said, stroking my hair. I leaned into his hand, feeling tears prick my eyes. 

 

"I don't want you to leave," I whispered, afraid of my own voice cracking. "I spent so long looking for you..."

 

"I know, but I need to get home to your mother," Dad said. "I'm not sure... I'm just afraid that maybe... she's moved on. Or will. Because she thinks we're all  dead.  You know Colleen. She'll surround herself by things that distract her from the pain." 

 

So we were both afraid of the same thing. Mom replacing us. Who could blame her if everyone thought we were dead? From the way Matt poked at his food, he must have agreed with Dad. Would Mom move on...? Find a new husband? Create a new family? What if she was with someone right that moment? 

 

"Anyway, do you guys have your tapes ready?" Dad asked, clearing his throat and putting on a smile we all knew was fake. 

 

"Yeah, here," I said, taking Lance's and handing them to Dad. Matt passed his across the table, and Hunk practically chucked it, my Dad catching it in one hand. "When will you be arriving on Earth?"

 

"In a couple of months," Dad said. "Since I can't wormhole anywhere— I simply don't have that technology— it'll take longer."

 

"Maybe you can hitch a ride on another ship heading that way— like, a bigger one— and they can wormhole," I suggested. 

 

"That's a good idea, Katie," Dad said. "Of course, I'll have to be careful of space pirates and all that, but I think that is a good idea."

 

He finished his plate and tucked the tapes in his little bag. "I can't wait to see Iverson's face when he sees I'm still alive."

 

He kissed me on the forehead and ruffled  my honey-colored hair, then moving to Matt and doing the same. Then he moved back towards Lance and beckoned him for a man hug— patting on the back and all, to which Lance awkwardly patted him back.

 

"Take care of Katie," Dad said. "Bring her back home to me. And, if you need it, you have my blessing."

 

His...  blessing?  "Dad, what are you talking about??"

 

He turned and winked at me. Oh,  that  blessing. 

 

That made me smile, but then the smile disappeared. He meant,  in case you take longer than we thought to get back home, in case you're here long enough to get married, go ahead. Lance has my approval. 

 

He thought we'd be here for... years to come.

 

 

 

 

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	4. Lance

"Paladins, since we'll all be accompanying  Lotor to the leadership ceremony, we'll be taking Voltron," Allura announced, standing at her place under the Balmeran battle ship crystal. She nodded to me. "Lance, you'll be leading us. We'll fly separately until things get... hairy."

 

I smiled, thinking about how this would be the first mission I'd have as the  leader  of Voltron. I was so excited to unlock all of the black lion's secrets and knowledge. Shiro had unlocked the astral plane, and I was just itching to know what it  was . 

 

"Keith, you said that the Blade wanted you back, correct?" Allura asked the raven-haired boy. 

 

"Yes, Allura," Keith answered emotionlessly. His indigo eyes were cold. 

 

He must have been going through a lot, seeing Allura change in such a short time. I remember they were tight, almost inseparable. Until Katie was captured and Allura ordered that no one take action. Until Lotor came into play. 

 

Maybe playing hard to get or being too cautious wasn't what Allura was into. Keith was doing just that, and it seemed pretty easy for Allura to fall for someone more... easy to love.

 

"Then you may leave," Allura answered back, just as clueless as he was cold. Didn't she have  any  feelings for him anymore? I thought this was two-sided. "You are welcome back at any time."

 

He simply turned and left, probably to pack his belongings and go. 

 

"I'll give you the coordinates for the claiming ceremony, Lance," Allura continued, not even batting an eye.  How can love be so easily forgotten ?

 

"Thanks, Princess," I answered politely. Then again, how had I so easily gotten over Allura? Perhaps something in my heart gave up on wanting her. Like Fate had released its grip on my heartstring and said,  I have someone better in mind. 

 

"I've received the coordinates," Katie said beside me, and transferred them straight to each Paladin's lion. 

 

Hunk muttered, "Got it!" from across the room. Lotor smiled. 

 

"Good. Shall we be off, then?"

 

—-

 

"Approaching ceremony thing," I said, squinting at the weirdly shaped structure before us. The planet we'd entered the atmosphere of was relatively bland, except for the mountain peak on which the ceremonial structure sat.

 

"Lance, it has a name," Katie said through the coms. "And copy that."

 

"Well, what's the name, Smarty Pants?" I sassed. 

 

"It's the Kral Zera," Lotor interrupted, sounding bored. "Let's dock here."

 

"Lotor, there are Galra right under us!" Allura said.

 

"They'll move if they're smart," Lotor said, smirking as Voltron touched base, dust rising to form a cloud around us. Galra rushed to get out of the way. 

 

"Don't you think that was a bit cruel, Lotor?" Katie said through the coms. "You could have crushed those people."

 

"But I didn't," Lotor replied, a smirk on his face. If his face wasn't so... and I'm saying this with the straightest point of view possible... good-looking, and his hair wasn't so seriously great, I'm sure somebody would've slapped him by now for what comes out if his mouth. 

 

"Lance, are you thinking about Lotor's hair again?" Katie called through the coms. I paled, then realized this was a private channel. I could see her smirking.

 

"What? How would you know that? Are you  telepathic,  Pidgey?" I asked, squinting in suspicion.

 

"You make this face... like you're clearly jealous of him," Katie said, grinning. "You wish you had his silky, flowing hair." As she said this, she pretended to faint, pressing a hand to her forehead and sighing.

 

"Katie!" 

 

"Aw, I'm just messing with you," she said. "And I like your hair better. You take pretty good care of yourself. And your gorgeous hair is attached to only the sweetest boy I know."

 

"Aw, Katie—" 

 

"I may not be able to hear you two, but I'm pretty sure your sweet-talking each other," Hunk called. "Are you ready?"

 

Rolling my eyes, I responded, "Yes, sir, Hunk."

 

We sat in wait as the lions split. Lotor exited the blue lion, hair flowing behind him and wind whipping.

 

(Where is this wind coming from? I could swear that there wasn't any before.)

 

I zoomed in on him with my lion's monitor, locking onto his location. He'd taken out a weapon of some sort— I think it was a Galra tech sword— and was marching towards the growing crowd of Galra nearby this pit of torches. He started speaking to the crowd, a triumphant grin painting his purplish face. The little flick of white hair almost covered the malicious look in his eyes. The look of victory, of conquering. 

 

No, surely this man was nothing like his father. 

 

"I am Prince Lotor, son of Zarkon," Lotor began. "And I am here to claim my throne as Emperor."

 

Someone spoke up, looking aggressive. I itched to move forward and just smack them with one of Black's paws. "What gives you the right to try and take the throne? Only full-blooded Galra are allowed to rule! You're nothing but a halfbreed!" 

 

"I did what none of you could do!" Lotor said back, clearly enraged by this mention of his race. "I captured and brought Voltron to the Galra!"

 

"He  captured  us? Since when?" Katie snapped.

 

"I'm sure he's just saying that to sway his people," Allura said, completely unaware. "Don't think too much about it, Pidge. It's simply a disguise."

 

Though I respected Allura's opinions, maybe she was wrong. The princess has always been known for her... naivety. For all we know, Lotor could be a wolf in wolf's clothing, letting us think his straight-forward and rash comments are a disguise from the Galra in our favor.

 

But maybe it's the other way around?

 

 

 

 


	5. Lance

Lotor's claiming of the throne was relatively boring. Some arrogant Galrans challenged him, but underestimated the power of good-looking hair and an unreasonable amount of charisma, and were easily defeated.

 

Lotor used smirk! It was very effective!

 

He took the torch and lit the strange statue at the top of the staircase in no time, and we were ready to go.

 

"Aw, come on! My popcorn just came out of the microwave!" Hunk exclaimed, looking quite irritated.

 

"Wait, your lion has a microwave??" I asked, animatedly waving my hands around in protest.

 

"Lance, if you weren't so busy with Pidge in your free time—"

 

"Hunk! One more word and I'll show everyone your spicy cooking magazines," Katie threatened over the coms.

 

"Fine," Hunk said, glaring at Katie. Then he put his sweet voice back on and said, "Lance, while you were doing who knows what and daydreaming about your girlfriend, Pidge and I were upgrading our lions. I added a microwave!!"

 

"Wait, Lance has a girlfriend?!" Allura looked completely shocked. "Since when?"

 

"Why do you look so surprised, Allura?" I feigned hurt, gasping loudly.

 

"Oh, you guys never told her..." Hunk whistled innocently. "Whoops, my bad."

 

"Pidge! I expect as much from Lance, butmy standards for you are far higher!" Allura joked.

 

What did she mean by that? Did she mean she expected me to hide something like that and lie, but not Katie? Or did she mean that she expected me to fall in love with anybody, but with Katie, she could've done better? I knew it was a joke, but still... it hurt. It'd been a while since I last felt flashes of dejavú thinking about how much if a goofball I was to everyone, or how I felt like the seventh wheel, easily removable. I had been distracted since then, but then, with this moment of peaceful quiet, the old pain was resurfacing.

 

"Haha, funny!" I joked back, feigning laughter. I pulled it off far too well; the skin around my eyes crinkled, I smiled, and I even threw in the sparkle in my eyes.

 

It was easy sometimes, but other times I couldn't pull off the charades.

 

"Lotor, welcome back!" Allura's cheerful voice rang through the coms, dripping with puppy love.

 

The blue lion's pilot simply flashed a signature smile towards the princess (or through the screens, anyway, but we all knew that smirk was for the girl then fainting visibly in her pilot's seat). "It's Emperor Lotor, now," he said, a smug grin taking over his features.

 

I pretended to gag, making a face at Katie, who returned the expression.

 

"What now, then?" Allura asked Lotor, placing her head on her hands and staring off dreamily. "What do we do now that you're Emperor?"

 

"Well, I assume there are still Galrans that prefer my father's way of ruling," Lotor said coolly. "I'll simply have to convince them otherwise or... get rid of them."

 

Get rid of them...? That did sound ominous. But, I had to agree, getting rid of opposition, especially if they were aggressive Galrans out to take over the universe.

 

I had guessed that at this point, decimation of the enemy was the only option. Once again, war seemed the only option. We'd won the first half of our war, and this new problem was only the second half.

 

"What is the easiest way to get those Galrans on our side?" Katie asked. "What is it they want, exactly?"

 

"Quintessence," Lotor answered. "That's all my empire wants, all it's ever wanted for thousands of years. Of course, we— my father has gone about getting this quintessence in the most barbaric way possible... the destruction of entire planets. If only we could discover a way to access it freely without this destruction, I am completely assured my people would be satisfied and will bother the rest of the universe no more."

 

"That sounds splendid, and I only hope that you are right," Allura said. She looked especially happy at hearing that.

 

I heard a beep on my dashboard and looked to see a message. Funny, I didn't know our lions could do that.

 

PIDGE: I don't like the sound of that.

 

While Allura, Hunk, and Lotor discussed the possibilities of extracting quintessence somehow without harming planets, Katie and I were chatting through a newly discovered (on my end, anyway) texting application on the lions' dashboards.

 

LANCE: Don't like the sound of what?

 

PIDGE: It's impossible to extract the life force of a creature or object without killing it. Quintessence is the heart and core of the universe, and taking it out of something only kills that thing!

 

LANCE: Well, that's why they're discussing a way to do it without killing anything.

 

PIDGE: Oh, Lance, babe, you're adorable and I love you but sometimes you're a cOMPLETE AND UTTER IDIOT.

 

I smiled, biting my tongue in anticipation as I waited excitedly for a response. I realized that we had already began our trip back to the castle, though I didn't remember telling my lion where to go.

 

PIDGE: While you were busy daydreaming (haha Hunk), I installed software on our lions that makes the paladins capable of using a sort of emergency piloting on another's lion in the case that we ourselves are unable to.

 

LANCE: Hey, that's pretty sweet!

 

"... so, Princess, will you agree to help me in researching this?" Lotor's voice suddenly caught my attention, and I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.

 

"Wait, what?" I mumbled under my breath. "What just happened?"

 

"I've agreed to help Lotor in researching how we can find quintessence without harming life forms," Allura stated.

 

"Which, may I remind you, is completely impossible," Katie said, looking a bit skeptical. "And, no offense, Allura, but shouldn't I be the one researching these kinds of things?"

 

"I believe that there may be pure quintessence held in a small pocket of space, like in a tiny, separate plane of existence," Lotor said.

 

"That's awfully specific for something you believe to exist," Katie said. "Allura, I really think you should leave the research to Hunk and—"

 

"I really think you should just stay out of this, Pidge," Lotor said, narrowing his eyes. I clenched my fists defensively. "I will not invite a close-minded, skeptical girl to do my work for me. How am I to know you won't sabotage the work simply to prove you are right?"

 

"Excuse me, Emperor Lotion, but you do nOT talk to my girlfriend like that!" I yelled, standing out of my seat.

 

"Paladins! Settle down!" Allura said. Her expression was hard with anger. "Lotor and I will be researching together, alone, and that is final—"

 

"Researching my a—" With a cold glare from Allura, I instantly shut my mouth.

 

"Pidge, as a paladin, you must keep your emotions under control and be open to different answers," Allura stated. "This isn't just science we're dealing with anymore. It's more like magic. And Lance, as leader of Voltron, I expect you to not only lead us in the right direction, but to keep your biased decisions out of the mix."

 

"You... expect me to be Voltron's leader? Just ten minutes ago, you expected me to be some kind of [censored] when you found out I was dating Pidge and hid it from you, and now you expect me to do something right? What is it, Princess? Am I Voltron's screw up or not? Make up your mind." Allura was trying her best with what she knew. She wasn't a scientist like Katie. She was more of some funky elf magician. Those were two different things. And if anything, she was biased. But I couldn't blame her. Once upon a time, I was biased and hopelessly infatuated with someone— Allura— until I realized she wasn't what I wanted, and Katie was what I needed.

 

Allura was doing her best, and I needed to respect that.

 

I took a deep breath, releasing the tension that was boiling up to my head. "I understand, Princess, and I'm sorry. I will do better next time to lead Voltron."

 

After my blow up on Allura, I felt drained of energy and completely exhausted. When we docked in our hangars, I waited for Katie— something about the way she was looking at me, her amber eyes pooling with a swirling hurricane of emotions, told me she wanted me to wait up for her.

 

Her tiny foot steps rang like bells in the hallway as she turned the corner and ran straight into my arms. I stroked her hair as we sat at the front of my lion, leaning back against the metal of one of her huge paws. She was trembling slightly in my grasp, and I lifted her chin slightly to look into her eyes, stained with tears.

 

"Katie, what's wrong?"

 

In between sniffles, she managed, "I'm trying to save the universe, Lance... they cannot go on that research mission. I... I don't know much about quintessence, but I know that it's like our heart... if ripped out, we die. No matter how they do it, Lotor will somehow convince Allura to kill millions and she won't even know it. People are going to die, Lance, and I'm scared."

 

I was no science nerd, either, but I knew something was wrong. People were going to die, and Katie and I were going to stop it before it was too late.

 

If it wasn't already.


	6. Lance

"Pidge, to your left," I said, directing my own lion towards the battle. "Lotor and Hunk, take the ships to my right."

 

"Roger that!"

 

It was less than a month after Lotor's crowning and we were already dealing with rebels. Some planets under Galra control refused to side with Lotor and instead sided with Zarkon... who, may I remind you, was dead.

 

I was leading Voltron for what might have been the first time. And it felt good. I had so much power at my fingertips, and I would use it to help the universe.

 

Galra fighter ships approached, and with ease, I swung the lion around shots and fired back, lasers slicing the enemy like knives. I felt Black's purr deep in the back of my mind, like a constant encouraging force driving me forward.

 

Within minutes, the space around us was sparkling with the fire of debris and destruction. The enemy had lost this time.

 

"Good job, guys!" I stated over the com, receiving multiple hoots and hollers in return.

 

"We're successful because of our leader, Lance," Katie said, smiling with pride. "You did wonderful."

 

I blushed. "Thanks, Pidgey. Allura, is there anything else on our agenda today?"

 

"There's a planet nearby that needs liberating from an opposing Galra force," Allura said.

 

"Got it, I've already sent you all the coordinates." Katie's voice confidently rang through the coms. I sent her a smile, thinking about what a good right-hand-woman she was.

 

That's my girl.

 

The lions flew in formation toward the nearby planet, which was a dark blue hue. "Pidge, any useful information we should know before we enter the atmosphere?"

 

Katie shook her head. "Unfortunately, there isn't much on this planet except for its name. Triyuna. It's uninhabited except for the Galra base on its surface. I suggest we keep on our helmets in case the air is unbreathable."

 

"Roger that, Pidge," I responded. "Paladins, you heard the lady. Helmets on."

 

We began our descent, lions surrounded by fire like bullets. Everything about this planet was blue. Dark, ominous clouds hung over our heads, and below us, the land was as blue as something you'd put in your drink.

 

"Careful on your landing," Katie spoke up. "The land appears to be mostly thin ledges and bridges across deep chasms."

 

"So, let's land over by this cave. Land like you're stroking the soil," I instructed, bringing Black to a complete standstill on the land.

 

We exited the lions, Katie and I walking in sync behind Hunk, Allura, and Lotor.

 

Katie whispered, "Ugh, Lotor and Allura are holding hands."

 

I looked at the two walking far ahead of us, whispering to each other as well. Their hands were intertwined, purple skin meeting brown.

 

"Lance, we're on a mission. Don't you think their... public display is a bit of a distraction? This could easily change the success of our mission and their concentration is diverted."

 

Biting my lip, I sighed. "Yeah, maybe a little bit... but..."

 

"But you can do something about it! You're our leader, Lance," Katie said, looking up at me with big, honey eyes. "Assert your dominance by telling them to keep distance toward missions."

 

I had to admit she was right. However hard it was to see myself telling the Princess what to do in a situation like this, Katie was right in saying that I needed to tell them to separate.

 

"Can you come with me, then?" I asked her, using my best puppy-eyed stare. She visibly melted.

 

"F-fine," she relented. Together, but not holding hands, we made our way past Hunk towards the two Alteans.

 

"Pidge, Lance," Allura said in greeting. Lotor simply smiled.

 

"Princess Allura, I think it may be best that you and Lotor are separated on missions," I said. "You two are clearly in love and it's a bit concerning that your attention may not be where it should."

 

Internally, I was proud at the fact that I could form such an easily coherent sentence. Since hanging around Katie became a frequent event, I became a lot more eloquent in my speech.

 

Allura's eyes widened. "What? You think we'll harm the mission?"

 

"N-not harm it, per se, but-"

 

"I find it laughable that you deem Lotor and I a problem, but not Pidge and yourself!"

 

"Excuse me, Princess, but a month ago you didn't even know we were dating because we hid it so well!" Katie's indignant reply came from behind me. I was tempted to put an arm around her but stopped myself. Now was not the time.

 

As Allura was preparing to speak, there was an explosion of a gun being fired and a groan beside me.

 

"Katie!" I yelled, turning to my girlfriend, who was turning to look behind her.

 

"I'm okay, Lance, it's just my jet pack is gone!" Without hesitation, she whipped out her bayard, throwing herself into battle. I did the same, pulling out my own rifle. I took up position behind her, noting that we were in the middle of a bridge of land that connected two pillars. We had to be careful. I hated thinking about the thousands of feet of empty space below us.

 

Closing an eye and aiming towards the Galra soldiers, I fired, watching in slow motion as my shot flew past an enemy shot that hit the bridge beneath me. Frozen with panic, I saw the blue soil begin to crumble under me, and two tiny hands push me backwards.

 

"Lance! No!"

 

I collided with the ground at Hunk's feet, watching as Katie flailed in mid-air, grasping for the ground beneath her that didn't exist. She caught hold of the edge with both hands.

 

My mind switched immediately back to reality. "Katie!" I stood and made my way towards her, but she shook her head.

 

"No, don't come any closer! Your weight will cause it to crumble!" Her voice was strained as she struggled with not panicking. Her eyes were wide with fear.

 

The paladins around me flew to give us cover.

 

"Can't I just jetpack to you?"

 

"It can't hold that much weight," Katie said through clenched teeth.

 

"I... I can't just watch and do nothing," I said, pacing back and forth on the thin bridge, trying to come up with an idea. Hunk, Lotor, and Allura were busy fighting off the Galra soldiers. That left me to come up with a solution. Just Pidge and I.

 

"Lance, I can't hold on much longer, and I don't know what to do," Katie said. I'd never heard her sound so terrified in my life.

 

"Just hold on, Katie, I'll think of something..." We were under heavy fire, and more Galra were showing up every second. I couldn't jetpack her up, due to the amount of weight. I didn't have enough time to get to my lion.

 

Please, Black, tell me what to do. I closed my eyes and begged that my lion could hear me and respond, giving me hope.

 

That's when I heard her scream, my eyes popping open to see her hands slipping from their grasp on the ledge.


	7. Lance

"Katie!" I saw her slip into the abyss, and I couldn't do anything to save her. No, no, no... I've got to do something. Me going after her will only kill both of us... but I have to try.

 

I powered on my jetpack and dove towards her, struggling to accelerate fast enough to catch up with her. We still had quite a ways to fall, but my heart was pumping faster and faster. I grabbed her arm and levelled our bodies so that we were parallel to each other, freefalling together. The flames igniting from my armor strained to carry our combined weight, buzzing with exertion. I pulled Katie close to me, hugging her to my chest as we spiraled downwards.

 

"Come on, come on, just a little more power!" We were slowing in our fall, but still diving. Even at the speed we were going now, hitting the ground would still kill us, if the jetpack didn't fizz out altogether.

 

"Lance..." Katie's eyes studied mine. "You came down here to..." Not to save her, no. I knew it was hopeless, but still... something in me couldn't allow her to die, even if it meant recklessly throwing myself into danger as well.

 

"I know, it was futile..." I trailed off. The sounds of battle above us were distant. Did the other paladins even know we were gone, with their being so absorbed in the fight? How long would it take them to find our dead bodies far below them, embracing each the like the lost lovers of Pompeii? Would I die a hero? Watching as Katie's amber honey hair fluttered in the wind, her helmet having been ripped off by the fall, it struck me that she was beautiful in any situation- in life and in death. "But if I lost you, I would lose a piece of myself, too. How useful then would I be if I was broken?"

 

We were going to die together, our last moments spent looking in each other's eyes.

 

Finally, my jetpack gave, puttering into nothing but smoke. I clung to her tighter, feeling our speed pick up rapidly as we descended towards the bottom, which was becoming quickly visible. I closed my eyes and gave one last plea.

 

Please don't let this be the end...

 

Then there was absolute silence, no breeze, no dreamlike battle cries, no hum of the universe.

 

"Lance, open your eyes," Katie whispered breathlessly.

 

Confused, my eyelids fluttered open, giving way to a horizon of purple and sparkling stars. Clouds floated peacefully above us, and our feet were standing on something like a dreamy reflective surface. "Is this...?"

 

"The astral plane," Katie whispered again, voice dripping with the awe she felt. "How did we get here?"

 

"The black lion..." I mumbled. "Only she has access to the astral plane. That's why we were able to access it as Voltron, but never separate. Does this mean we're dead?"

 

Katie's nose wrinkled in concentration. "No, it can't be. We'd have had to feel a world of pain for that to be the case. The lions before have been able to wormhole us to different places- oh! Remember when we first found the blue lion on Earth? She created a wormhole for us to reach the castle of lions. That's a form of teleportation. It's possible Black teleported us at the last second here to the astral plan."

 

"Why here, though? Why couldn't she have just teleported us back to her cockpit?" I asked, looking at the expanse of the universe around us. "I would think that that would have been a heck of a lot easier than teleporting us to a different plane of existence."

 

Katie snorted. "Yeah. But Voltron usually doesn't do anything on its own without reason. There must be something important about this place."

 

We walked forward, towards nowhere in particular, hoping for a sign. The black lion wanted us here, for whatever reason, and I was determined to find it. We had to find it and fast, so that we could return to Triyuna and help the rest of the team fight.

 

We walked for what felt like forever, talking about senseless nothings to pass the time. It was the same scenery throughout the stretch of infinity.

 

It was like space- nothing for eternity. Just floating through a sea of stars and flickering lights.

 

"This is ridiculous," Katie muttered. "There's nothing here! What are we even—"

 

"Shhh," I interrupted, placing a finger on her lips. "I think I heard something."

 

She narrowed her eyes but listened, cocking her head to the side with curiosity.

 

There it was again— that familiar voice that sent a shiver of deja vu through him. It was faint and he couldn't tell what it was saying, but it was on the tip of his tongue.

 

"Huh, you're right," Katie said. "I hear it, too."

 

We waited for some time, listening to the indecipherable mantra over and over again like a slight breeze of wind. I was waiting for it to get louder, but it never did.

 

"Let's keep walking towards it," I suggested. "See if it gets louder. Katie, what direction is it coming from?"

 

She shrugged. "It's too faint to tell."

 

I lead the way, stepping forward tentatively. That voice sounded familiar, it did!

 

"It's working!" Katie exclaimed. "It's getting louder!"

 

Standing still again, I listened closely. Three words rang through my mind, throwing me into our early Voltron days. Patience yields focus.

 

"Is that... Shiro's voice?" Katie asked, looking up at me.

 

Simultaneously, we began running towards the voice, running toward a voice we'd given up on hearing long ago. Katie's hand in mine, we sped towards the sound as fast as we could, it getting louder and louder until it was a pulse, until it was screaming, and we stopped.

 

It was him on the horizon. He stood stoically, arms linked behind his back as if he was watching the ocean over a deck on a boat. His hair fluttered from some imaginary wind.

 

As if on cue, he turned and faced us, eyes reaching into us.

 

"Katie. Lance. You found me."


	8. Lance

~~~~

Before I could stop her, Katie broke into a run towards the man, throwing her arms around him. However belated I was to have found him, we had to be careful. Kūron, though I had killed him, could still be somewhere. This was the real world we were talking about. Criminals and heroes alike all had nine lives.

 

"Wait, Katie, how do we know this isn't Kūron?" I asked, pulling her into me as she released her grip on the man. He looked like Shiro, but so did Kūron from a mile away and if you squinted.

 

Smiling widely, Katie took my hands in hers. "Because he called me Katie. Kūron didn't even know that was my real name, remember?"

 

I glanced up at Shiro. My eyes flickered to Katie's. "It's been a while since we last saw Kūron. We knew we were being watched through him. The Galra could have gathered intel since."

 

"Who is Kūron?" Shiro asked.

 

"The Galra created a clone of you after that battle in which you disappeared," Katie explained. "We called him Kūron, and we had to... Lance had to kill him to save me." She glanced gratefully at me, her grasp on my hands much tighter.

 

"Oh. Then I completely understand why you must not trust me right now, Lance," Shiro said. "But you were sent here for a reason. I assure you I'll explain everything, but first, there are some people you need to meet."

 

I sighed, relenting. "Fine. But the second you do anything... out of character, we're leaving."

 

"I believe it's up to your lion whether or not you leave, Lance," Shiro said calmly, leading us forward. "This is the astral plane, a different dimension. Altean technology may be difficult to understand, but with the help of some others I've met here, it's become easier. Even in death, I continue to learn."

 

"What do you mean even in death?" I asked.

 

"The astral plane hosts the souls of those who have died before their time," Shiro explained. "During that battle, Lance, I was killed. So I ended up here. I found thousands of others like me, millions maybe if I felt like counting, who have all had similar situations.  Every single one of these people wait for the day when someone in the living world can return their soul to their body, if they even have one to return to."

 

As he finished talking, shapes and figures appeared on the horizon, but upon getting closer, I realized—

 

"These are all Alteans!" Katie gasped. It was hundreds of them in one spot. Multiple hair colors, mostly white skin. They each had a mark on their cheeks.

 

"Yes," Shiro said. "Most of these Alteans died during the destruction of their planet. But some of these... I think you'd like to ask them questions yourselves."

 

"I have so many questions!" Katie said, excitedly trotting towards the crowd.

 

—-

 

Approaching a group that Shiro had singled out, Katie approached a young boy with wild brown hair and a blue set of marks.

 

"Hi, I'm Pidge Gunderson," she said, introducing himself. "I come from the living world, and I have so many questions to ask you."

 

Tentatively, the boy reached out and shook her hand. "My name is Bandor. I am from the Colony."

 

"The Colony? What does that mean?" I asked.

 

The boy's blue eyes met mine. "After our planet was destroyed ten thousand years ago, some of us Alteans escaped and were guided towards a safe planet to build a colony."

 

"Do you know who Princess Allura is?" Katie asked. "King Alfor?"

 

Bandor shook his head. "We haven't had a member of the royal family for ten thousand years."

 

Katie pulled me aside, whispering, "These Alteans claim that they come from ten thousand years after the destruction of Altea. Didn't Allura say the same thing when we first released her from the cryopod?"

 

I nodded. "So this means that these Alteans died recently."

 

"We have to find out more about this Colony so that we can find it," Katie said. Turning back to Bandor, she smiled pleasantly and continued the conversation. "Thank you, Bandor. How, may I ask, did you die?"

 

As Bandor was preparing to speak, the surroundings fizzled out, and were replaced with darkness.

 

I realized then that my eyes were closed, and when I opened them, I was sitting in the pilot's seat of my lion with Katie fast asleep in my lap.

 

"Katie," I said, nudging her awake. "Wake up."

 

Her honey eyes flittered open, and automatically they filled with fear as she jumped out of my lap. "Lance, where are we?"

 

She blinked a couple of times, taking in her surroundings. "We're in your lion. She must have teleported us back to her right before she ran out of power."

 

Katie was right: the cockpit was lit only by the light of Triyuna. Nothing was beeping, no chattering of machinery. "She used all of her energy to save us."

 

"And show us the Alteans," Katie added. "That is extremely important information! Think of how excited Allura will be when we tell her about our discovery. There could still be live Alteans in that Colony."

 

"Yeah," I agreed. "But let's get out of here first and find the others."

 

Together we exited the lion, each patting her on her big metal paws.

 

Thank you, Black, I thought, sending her a little mental scratch on the head. I promise we'll get you back in shape soon.

 

All three other paladins were jet-packing up from the deep abyss we'd fallen into, and landed beside the lions.

 

"Hey! We're back!" I exclaimed, grinning.

 

Allura and Hunk both ran to hug us, Hunk wrapping me in a huge bear hug and squeezing every bit of oxygen from my lungs.

 

"Pidge, Lance, we've been looking for you for hours!" Hunk said. "Where have you been?"

 

"Black teleported us into the astral plane," I answered, patting my friend on the back. "Pidge and I have soooo much to tell you."

 

"So do I," Allura said, glancing over at Lotor. "We can discuss everything at dinner."

 

Something in my gut told me this wasn't going to be good. The way Allura looked at Lotor made me afraid. Were they going to pull some Romeo-and-Juliet stunt where they ran away together  and got married?

 

And how had Bandor died? Something about his situation was eerily mysterious.

 

We had to go back.


	9. Lance

Everyone had finished their food goo in anticipation of Allura's big announcement. I felt something— fear, was it?— rumbling deep in my stomach that made me feel sick.

"I can tell you are all anxious to hear the news," Allura said, her eyes twinkling.

Turning an unhealthy shade of green, Hunk blurted, "Yes, yes we are, so _please_ hurry before my dinner comes back to hear it, too!"

Katie chuckled nervously beside me. Honerva, Matt, Ezor, Acxa, and Zethrid all looked equally curious.

"Lotor and I are getting married!" Allura said, throwing her hands up in excitement.

Hunk spit out his drink, choking and slamming the table. Ezor turned gray, Acxa got up and left the table, Zethrid began laughing hysterically, Coran walked in dropping everything, you get it, there was chaos.

"What! Allura, what on _earth_ made you do that?" I asked, still replaying her announcement. She was kidding, right?

"I..." She blushed, looking down at her feet. "I made a quick decision, as it may appear, because... I may or may not be with child."

"You're _pregnant_?!" A calamity of questions surrounded the princess to the point where she raised a balled fist and yelled, "Stop!"

Silence fell over the room.

"Look, paladins and others, I know you all don't trust Lotor like I do," Allura said softly, though her eyes burned passionately. "But I trust him with my whole heart. I _love_ him, and I know he feels the same way towards me."

"Princess, can you fly a lion in your condition?" Coran asked, picking up the shattered glasses he'd dropped.

"Coran, I'm just pregnant, not injured," Allura said, smiling. "Of course I can carry on with my duty."

"With all due respect, Allura, I don't think you should," I spoke up. "Please, take some precaution."

"I'll discuss the matters with Lotor," Allura said. "Our wedding will be held a week from now, on the remains of Daibazaal, to represent the union between our two races."

—-

I spread out on my bed, staring at the ceiling. _This is just nuts. Maybe it's a bad dream. I'll wake up and Lotor will be gone... no stupid marriage, no princess making irrational decisions._

"Lance, are you in there?" Katie asked, knocking on the door.

"Come in," I said, sitting up with a sigh.

She sat down beside me, resting her head on my shoulder. "Something's bothering you. I can feel it all the way from my room. Spill the beans."

I shook my head, smiling. Then my smile faded. "It's just... I care about Allura, a lot—" Seeing Katie's sad look, I kissed her head and whispered, "Not as much as I care about you, mi paloma. But I've come to respect the Princess. She's gone through so much already, being as young as she is. But I feel like her heart leads her more than logic does. She's too trusting."

"I agree," Katie mumbled. "I don't trust Lotor at all... Not only because he honestly thinks we can harvest quintessence without harming anyone, but because... he's too much like his father. He wanted to destroy us previously, what changed?"

_Yes, what changed? How can someone have such a quick change of heart?_

"I know we might not agree with Allura's choice... it's a bit irresponsible doing something like that especially when we're in the middle of a space war... but until we have solid proof that Lotor has done something wrong, we have to be happy for her," I answered reluctantly. It was Allura's choice to marry who she wanted and _maybe_ she was right when she said that an Altean marrying a Galra could unite them once and for all.

"Okay," Katie said. "I'll act happy just for you. Also... we never got to share what we found."

"It wasn't the right time," I replied. "We'll let her know once we have more solid facts, alright?"

Katie nodded. "We're do hard on Allura all the time, when we shouldn't be. She used to have her parents around to help her with everything and now she's suddenly alone. She's had to grow up faster than the rest of us."

Katie buried her face in my chest when her phone beeped. Blearily, she checked it.

"Allura wants my opinion on her dress," Katie said. "Don't know if I'll be much help, though. My fashion sense isn't all what it used to be."

Kissing her nose, I said, "Pidgey, you always look adorable. Now, go be girly."

Now without my best friend and girlfriend around to keep me company, I was alone. Deciding Hunk might be a perfect target for companionship, I headed down to the kitchen. Following the delicious aroma, I found the boy taking something out of the oven.

"Hey, Hunk!" I called, reaching towards the tray.

"Lance, those are— never mind, you're already eating it... I'll go get you some water."

I had shoved an entire cookie in my mouth, automatically regretted it, and attempted to relieve my tongue of the heat by gasping. I drowned it in water, spitting out the cookie.

"Lance... you are a paragon of leadership!"

"Hey, did you steal that from Pidge?"

"Ohhhh you bet," Hunk said, fanning off the cookies just in case I tried to snag another one. "Pidge is honestly such an inspiration sass-wise."

"Agreed," I replied, "though I'm not sure how I feel about it being directed towards me at times."

"It appears we have a while until a mission," Hunk said nonchalantly. "You wanna go hang with Keith?"

"Isn't he with the Blade?" I asked. It'd been a while since I last hung out with him, and I missed having him around. We used to argue so much, but that was a part of my life, and our arguments were always just in good fun.

"Yeah, but let's call him up," Hunk suggested, taking out his phone. "We could go hang at a nearby planet and check out the markets. I'm dying to buy some fresh ingredients, and the locals are just so friendly. Once we get ahold of Keith, you can ask Pidge—"

"I think it's a girl's day out for her," I answered. "She's helping Allura with wedding preparations."

"Aww, are you sad?"

" _No,_ I'm not _that_ clingy," I said, crossing my arms.

Truth was, I was already missing her.


	10. Lance

"Keith!" I'd thrown myself at the boy, to his surprise. His indigo eyes were wide as he stiffened in my hug.

"Hello, Lance," he said cautiously.

"Yeah, I know, it's a big readjustment having Lance around, isn't it?" Hunk said, patting me on the back.

Keith returned the hug, breaking out in a big smile I wasn't used to seeing on him. "It's so good to see you guys. How have you all been?"

I shrugged. What did you tell somebody who just... _had_ to be there? So much had happened since Keith last left.

"When did you leave? I'll make a checklist of everything we need to bring you up to date with," Hunk said, pulling a notepad out of his inside jacket pocket and sitting down on the chair. Keith had been staying on a planet near the Blade base, taking up temporary habitation in a cozy hotel room. I made myself comfortable on the sofa while Hunk and Keith sat on the chairs nearby.

"It was right before your mission to make Lotor emperor," Keith said, still showing obvious disgust for the prince.

I'd thought he'd slightly gotten over Allura. What happened? Or did he just distrust the emperor like the rest of us?

"Oh, right," Hunk said, scribbling down a few words. He then passed Keith his checklist, causing me to peer over his shoulder and look at the scribbly writing.

1\. _Lotor's plans to peacefully give quintessence to the Galra._

2\. _Lotura_

"Why is everything on this list about that stupid prince and Allura?" Keith asked, glaring at Hunk. "And what the quiznak is Lotura?"

"It's Lotor and Allura's ship name," Hunk said, grinning smugly. "I came up with it myself."

I patted the boy on the back. "Sounds great, Hunk. Quality work."

"I appreciate the feedback," Hunk said.

"Okay, can we _please_ move on?" Keith whined, crossing his arms. There it was- the Keith I knew. Angry, brooding, and emo.

"Yeah, sorry," I apologized, frowning at him sympathetically. I was in his place, once. Allura was hard to get over... Keith must have been feeling just as inadequate now as I did then, thinking about what the other guy had that he didn't.

But Keith would never admit out loud that he was jealous. 

"So, after Lotor became Emperor, he and Allura began discussing plans to erase the tension between the Galra and literally everyone else in the universe," I began, thinking about what Katie said when she'd heard their plan. "Lotor said that the one thing the Galra wanted was quintessence, and that if the two of them could find a way to peacefully extract quintessence without harming-"

"That's impossible!" Keith leaned forward in his seat, slamming a hand down on the table. "Quintessence is the core of the universe. Extracting it _kills_ things."

"Exactly what Pidge said," I agreed. "She even told him that, too, but... they're still continuing with this plan."

"That's..." Keith sighed, dragging his hands down his face in exasperation. "What a mess you guys are in."

"Keith, this involves you, too," Hunk said. "Quintessence, as you said, is the core of the universe. As one man once said when asked why he wanted to save the universe, you're 'one of the idiots who lives in it'. If Lotor goes through with this plan and succeeds, he will have found a secret way to drain the universe of quintessence, and the Galra won't satisfy their hunger for the stuff."

"I... also have another thing to say that may concern us," I began. I remembered in stunning detail the boy named Bandor telling us he died recently. And the mystery around his death. And the Colony. "When Pidge and I were teleported into the astral plane, we saw someone. He was an Altean."

This was news to Hunk and Keith both. Their eyes widened in silent shock, urging me to continue.

"The astral plane is full of people who have been killed or died before their time, waiting for someone to return their souls to their bodies. Many of the Alteans there were from ten thousand years ago, during their planet's destruction. But the boy we met- Bandor- said he was from something called the Colony, an established colony of Alteans who have been living there for the past ten thousand years."

"I thought they were all destroyed," Keith said. His fists were clenched in concentration.

"Yes, we all did. When we asked him how he died, he was about to tell us, but Black teleported us back to her cockpit just in time before running out of power."

"So, you're saying there's been an entire colony of Alteans just... hanging out? Who knows about this?" Hunk asked.

"I highly doubt Allura does, considering how she feels her and Coran are the last Alteans alive."

"We need to tell her," Hunk said. "She could help us find them."

"I think it's up to me and Pidge to do that," I said. "I'm the only one who can access the astral plane by myself. I could do it with Voltron, but frankly... I don't want Lotor involved."

"So, don't tell Lotor?" Hunk asked.

"Yeah, but... if we tell Allura, chances are, she'll tell Lotor. And that brings us to our next piece of news! Lotor and Allura are engaged, the wedding's like next week, and Allura's pregnant."

Keith's jaw dropped. "Wait, what?"

 


	11. Pidge

"Oh, juniberry, Pidge!" Allura grasped my shoulders tightly, grinning. "You look stunning!"

Blushing, I spluttered a few words. "T-thanks, Allura." She'd dolled me up best as she could, putting me in a leafy green dress that made me look like a fairy of the forest. She'd brushed my hair out and placed a laurel on my head that sported a single white flower.

This was the second time since I left Earth that someone had made me feel pretty... and I missed it, completely. I missed twirling in long skirts and batting my eyelashes like some pre-World-War-One southern blonde. I wore no makeup, but the change in attire changed everything.

"Now that we've got your perfect outfit, let's look at the wedding dress my mother left for me." Briefly, sorrow slipped through Allura's outer shell. But she smiled again and as if dancing on clouds, she skipped to her closet and brought down a metal chest.

Curious, I followed suit as the princess set the chest down on the floor and opened it with her fingerprint, the thing hissing upon release. It revealed silver colored jewelry and a pile of white satiny fabric.

"My mother wore this for her wedding, and her mother before her," Allura said, pulling it out and laying it on the bed.

"How have you all had the same dress size?" I asked.

"It's truly been a miracle," Allura replied, chuckling. "This royal gown has been passed down through generations of Altean queens, and now... it's my turn."

"You love him, don't you?" I asked, thinking about my distrust of Lotor ever since hearing about his quintessence plan.

"Yes, I do. With all my heart and every fiber of my being. We have both been through so much and have risen above it." The air between us became tense, as if gauging each other's reactions.

"I see," I answered tersely, hoping to stay away from an argument. Her blue eyes dug into mine. "I'm happy for you both."

The princess smiled, "Thank you, Pidge. It means a lot to me. Come sit here, let's talk."

"Talk...?" I climbed up on the bed beside her, which proved to be a difficult task considering its height. "Sure, Allura, but what about?"

"Well," Allura began playing with her hair bashfully, blushing. "It's just, I've never really had a sister to talk about things with."

"Oh?"

"My mother died when I was only an infant. I was her first and only child and my father never married again," Allura said, her voice quiet. "I've always craved some... feminine companion to speak with, someone to share trivial things with like emotions and boys and secrets."

I looked up at her and noticed she was crying, tears slipping off her skin like diamonds. Somewhat timidly, I placed my hand on hers in an attempt to comfort her.

"I think what I'm trying to say is... Pidge, would you be my honorary sister?" She looked down at me with hopeful eyes, like a little girl begging for a piece of chocolate.

I was at a loss for words. In my family, I'd always sort of been _one of the guys._ My dad and Matt were my closest friends, aside from Mom. Although I enjoyed doing... stereotypical feminine things like wearing long dresses and long hair and reading or watching sappy romance movies, I kept to myself, even before my dad and brother had gone missing. I didn't feel the need to talk so much as observe my surroundings and soak every bit of knowledge into my brain like a human sponge.

Had I ever wanted a sister, though? Like Allura did, now? After all, she had probably been practically alone her entire life aside from King Alfor and Coran. And possibly royal servants. Allura wanted someone to bring out her childhood before she lost it forever in marriage.

"Of... of course, Allura, if you want me to," I responded awkwardly to Allura, who immediately swept me up in a quiznaking tight squeeze.

"Oh, thank you, Pidge!" Allura grinned, her eyes crinkling shut and her laugh ringing like silver bells. "I'm so happy to finally have a sister!" Releasing me, she patted her legs excitedly. "So...?"

Once again, this royal Altean was looking to me for help. She stared at me with hopeful eyes. _Oh, she wants to talk about girly things but doesn't really know where to start._

"Uh, usually we talk about boys...?" I said, twiddling my thumbs. Great! I'd just invited a naïve, curious princess into my personal life with open doors. _But I think I'd rather have that then discuss her love life._

"Why don't we talk about Lance?" Glittering eyes met mine. "Have you guys slept together yet?"

I choked. "What?! Allura!"

"What?"

"Y-you don't start a conversation like that. Keep it PG."

"P... G?" Allura tilted her head to the side in confusion. "Is this an Earth metaphor?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry," I apologized, still recovering from the princess's straight-forward question. "Um, it means, keep it clean."

"Oh, of course! My apologies for my bluntness," Allura said, not at all fazed. "How do you guys like to spend your time together?"

There was a good, clean question! "Well, sometimes, late at night, we talk about our families and what we miss most about Earth. It's usually... a pretty tearful experience, so I'm glad Lance and I are close like that, or else I'd feel embarrassed. Sometimes, we play the video game we got at the Space Mall until we pass out on his floor. In the mornings, we do facials together— Lance's idea, not mine, but I enjoy it either way. He likes to play with my hair and connect the freckles on my arms to make constellations, or we'll try and bake together even though we're both horrible. He likes to draw and sing, and he's unsurprisingly poetic, so he'll send me little notes with my face on it and these stupidly sappy poems that make me feel like a school girl, or he'll show up with a bouquet of origami flowers and sing me a love song... And because I'm good at tech stuff and mechanics, I'll teach him how to build things and laugh when he gets mildly electrocuted because he was paying attention to me and not the wires."

Allura was sniffling and wiping tears away.

"A-Allura, are you _crying_?" I asked, unsure of what to do.

"It's just that... you two have such a _beautiful_ relationship," she finally said, grabbing my hand. "Please, don't ever let him go."


	12. Lance

"Okay, I think we've _officially_ run out of things to do in Keith's hotel room," Hunk said, flopping a hand dramatically on the ground next to him as he lay in the middle of the floor. "And before you say anything, _Lance,_ I am _not_ letting you bake anything."

"Aw, come on, Pidge and I bake all the time!"

"And whatever it is you were attempting to make always is burnt or in the process of burning!" Hunk said exasperatedly.

"We could go for a walk," Keith suggested.

"Keith, nobody has time for your lame ideas," I drawled, sighing heavily and turning towards the boy.

"Actually, that sounds like a good idea," Hunk said, hoisting himself off the ground and taking his bag. "I want to gather some ingredients from this planet anyway. We could walk through the supermarket."

"Eh," I said, deflating a little. Grocery shopping wasn't fun at home, and it certainly wasn't going to be fun in space. "I guess I'll come."

"What, to look for hot girls?" Keith quipped.

"Did you forget I'm in a relationship now?" I snapped back, smirking. "More than _you_ can say, Mullet."

"Oh, yeah," Keith said, frowning. Then a hint of a smile, "It's so unusual that I thought it was just a nightmare."

"Girls, quit bickering and come on," Hunk said, grabbing the two of us by our shirts and dragging us with him. We complied, swatting Hunk's hands off our collars.

"So..." I said, trying to start a discussion. Hunk ignored me while his senses tracked down any signs of fresh ingredients. Keith just raised his eyebrow, indigo eyes searching mine with intrigue.

"So?"

"How's life with the Blade?" I asked, trying to start with small talk. Yes, we've talked since coming to see him, but it was mostly giving him the run down of what had happened since he was last with us.

I wanted just a moment with my old buddies, to talk about trivial things like hopes and dreams and funny stories.

Like the old days.

"Great," Keith said, shrugging.

Sometimes the past was just a memory, with no resurrection in sight.

But it wasn't like me to give up so quickly, even if mine and Keith's previous friendship was flatlining.

"Uh, what exactly do you guys do? Like, missions-wise?" I asked. "Cool space ninja things?"

Keith cracked a smile. "Yeah, I guess you could say so. We've got these uniforms that kind of make us look like ninjas. But we do a lot of undercover jobs, like sneaking into places and stealing intel."

"Aw, _cool!"_ I said, doing a little jig in place. "Keith is a space ninja! Keith is a space ninja!"

A hand clamped over my mouth. Keith had a finger to his lips.

"I heard something," he whispered, standing in position. His eyes glanced over the now busy market area, passing by each alien shopper.

"Keith!" It was nothing but a whisper, coming from a couple yards to my left. The three of us turned towards the sound. Somebody peeked out from inside a tent, summoning them inside with a blue hand.

Keith signaled for Hunk and I to take out our bayards and we followed him casually into the tent.

I nearly shot the woman where she stood out of complete surprise.

" _Acxa?!"_ I yelled.

"Shhh! Unless you want to get us killed, keep your voice down!" Acxa hissed, eyes glaring into mine. Her gaze softened when she looked towards Keith to speak. "I was followed here. I have important information that I think you may find valuable."

"Followed by _who?"_ Keith asked, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He was still standing, his blade drawn.

We had learned in the past never to trust anyone, especially a general of Lotor. Even though they professed to be friendly, I wasn't too keen on returning the feeling.

"No matter, no time," Acxa said. She lowered her voice. "Emperor Lotor is a danger to all. Find the Colony." She handed Keith a small object. "On that device are the coordinates." Her eyes flitted towards the tent entrance warily. "Those coordinates will lead you to a colony of Alteans from which Lotor has been—" Suddenly a _ping_ sounded, and Acxa slumped over and fell to the ground. I leaned forward to catch her.

"Ezor," Keith hissed. The pink alien had a smug grin on her face, one hand on her hip. She blew smoke off the gun in the other.

"She was told to shut her mouth," Ezor said, looking not at all hindered by the fact that she had just shot a (former?) teammate. "Don't worry, she's simply been incapacitated. We'll bring her back to health once I get you all in your places." With a whistle, three Galra officers marched into the tent, each carrying handcuffs. "Any resistance and I assure you Acxa will not be waking."

Her ominous warning was taken to heart. None of us moved, though my heart was racing.

I was one step closer to discovering what the Colony was and what it had to do with Lotor. But now, as we were being held captive by one of Lotor's most skilled generals, it seemed we were being thrown back a lap.

I glanced towards my friends, looking for any answers. Fear shone like fire in Hunk's features, though he put on a brave face when he caught me looking. Keith looked as stoic— or maybe just indifferent?— as ever, raising an eyebrow at the scene.

Where were we going? And what were they going to do to us?


	13. Lance + Pidge

"If any of you so much as move a muscle, I'll decapitate you myself," Zethrid threatened, shoving me into the prison cell with my other friends and Acxa. I stumbled backwards, landing on my butt besides Keith, who was glaring at the grinning general beside Zethrid. 

"Oh, don't take it personally, cutie-pie, I'm just doing my job," Ezor said. "Now, you three- or four, if you count the dying body beside you, will be held here until the week is over. Then, you'll be released."

"Huh? Released? Just like that?" I asked, only very confused. Where was the whole façade evil villains usually put up about holding captives forever? 

Ezor didn't answer me; she simply smiled like usual and left, taking Zethrid with her, shutting the prison cell's door with a push of a button.

Keith slumped over, closing his eyes and scowling. He still held Acxa's unconscious body in his lap. 

"Keith, buddy, what's up?" I asked quietly, poking his shoulder. He tensed for a moment, unused to the personal contact, but took a deep sigh and loosened up. 

"Ezor... getting captured... and now Acxa," he said, gesturing with a free hand to the girl. "I guess I should've seen this thing coming with Ezor."

"Was... there anything between you guys?"

"She seemed to care about you back at the castle a couple months ago," Hunk added. 

"I- I don't know," Keith admitted. "At the very least we were friends. She helped me to see hope when I was in a bad spot. I kind of needed that."

"What, you mean after seeing Lotor and Allura all cozy?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Trying to suppress his annoyance at my comment, Keith nodded. "After that, our time spent together went from her comforting me to more of a distraction from the truth: I was still brokenhearted over Allura."

"While I love that we're having a heart-to-heart here, guys, I think we need to plan our escape," Hunk cut in, smiling sympathetically. He stood and peered around the room, eyes glancing over every surface in hopes to find something the technologically adept boy could use. He sighed, seeing nothing, and sat back down. "Wish I had Pidge here with us. She and I could figure something out."

"Well, she's not here, so we're stuck with you, Hunk," Keith said, a slight smile. "Anyway, why do you guys think Ezor said she'll release us in a week? Isn't that a bit odd?"

I nodded. "I was just thinking the same thing," I muttered. "Week, week, week, what's in a week?"

"Ugh, if I hear the word 'week' again, I'm going out of my mind," Hunk said. "It'll stop being a real word if I keep hearing it."

Ignoring Hunk's comment, I felt an imaginary light bulb go off in my head. "Wait, the wedding! The wedding's at the end of the week."

"Right!" Hunk said. "And if we're released at the perfect time, we won't be able to interrupt the wedding. It'll look bad on our end, cause nothing but chaos, and without sufficient proof, Allura would completely hate us for ruining her wedding. Along with the fact that as soon as Lotor takes Allura as his bride, he basically has all say of her actions. She wouldn't be able to divorce him even if she wanted to... there are probably plenty of legalities surrounding Ezor's timing."

"This is bad, then, really bad," I mumbled, cradling my legs in my arms and rocking back and forth. "Who's to say this wasn't a trap?"

\---------

**P I D G E**

Hanging out with Allura for hours on end had begun to get a bit exhausting. I loved the princess to death, but the amount of dresses I'd tried on, stories of Allura's past crushes I'd endured, and strange Altean songs I'd heard had driven me up a wall. 

"Pidge, would you like to help me come up with baby names?" Allura's voice broke through my cloud of annoyance, pushing it away.

"Huh?"

"That's not an Earth tradition...?" She looked slightly confused.

"Oh, no, it is! Yes, we do that, too. I was just distracted," I admitted. "I'd be happy to help you."

"Oh, wonderful!" The princess jumped up and down on her bed, then leapt off, running somewhere else. I shrugged, laying back against the soft fabric of her bed and sighing. Was this what it felt like to have over a decade of missed sisterhood shoved into a span of a few hours?

Allura returned with a notepad and pen, climbing up on the bed beside me and laying down with our heads right next to each other. She wrote something in Altean, and even though I couldn't tell what she had written down, I knew she had very nice handwriting. Typical of her to do everything with grace and beauty. Then she made two columns, each headed with a different word.

"What do those words mean that you wrote?" I asked meekly, feeling much like a little girl. 

Allura pointed to each phrase, her long slender fingers grazing the page. "This means 'Allura's baby names' and the two columns are headed by the words 'boys' and 'girls'."

I made a noise of wonder, trying to etch the words and symbols into my brain for later. 

"How about Altea?" 

"Oh, it looks like this-"

"No, I mean for a name," I said. "It's a name we use on Earth, too. Our _Althea_ is a Greek verb meaning to heal, and-"

"It's perfect," Allura whispered. "To heal. That's all I want in my future is to heal from this wound that has been aching for ten thousand years. It's perfect, Pidge. Altea and Daibazaal, after the homes we left behind." 

 

 

 


	14. Pidge

It was in the midst of our "Sister Day" that I felt some sort of mental connection. Allura and I were in the Castle's library, which had been virtually untouched for thousands of years. Allura wanted to do some research on Altean pregnancies, and although I wasn't usually into that sort of thing, I was curious as well.

"What are the side effects of pregnancy on Earth?" Allura asked me, thumbing through the pages of an ancient book. She'd blown some dust from the leather cover and shoved her nose in it, taking in the scent of old paper. 

I looked up at the ceiling, trying to remember. "Uh, morning sickness was one, then you have to pee a lot, sometimes there are nosebleeds, and constipation-"

"Alright, thank you... Pidge," Allura said, looking only very perturbed and uncomfortable. "As far as I know, Alteans have... nothing of the sort. We are usually very healthy people. But according to this book..." Her voice became slightly muffled as she started reading from the pages. "'Alteans carrying child may experience strong magical surges caused by the extreme fluctuation of emotions that a mother may endure.'"

"Strong magical surges? What is that supposed to mean?" I asked, crawling on my knees towards the princess to get a better look at the book myself. "You mean like, lasers randomly shooting out of your hands and stuff?"

Smiling, Allura let out a tinkling laugh that sounded like little bells. "However amusing that would be, it sounds highly dangerous, especially for a pregnant woman. No, I don't think so, but let's see."

Allura  read the rest of the page out loud in a soft voice, using her right index finger to keep track of her place. I found myself leaning on her shoulder, lured to sleep by her calm sound. That day had been completely exhausting on my end, between experiencing a flurry of new adventures as a volunteered sister to the Altean princess and trying to suppress my growing dislike for the new emperor of the Galra. 

I listened on to the drone of her voice, which faded in and out of my consciousness and swept into my dreams and subconscious thoughts. Time seemed to fade into nothingness, when suddenly a single thought, a voice clear as day, cut through the haze.

_Help! Anybody there? We need help!_

I bolted upwards, gasping for air and clutching my chest as my heart raced. I panted heavily as Allura rubbed my back, concern laced in her features. "Are you alright, Pidge?"

"Y-yeah," I stuttered, taking big breaths. It was like suddenly waking up from a bad nightmare. All these images were attached to the voice but I couldn't for the life of me bring them to the surface. "I just... thought I heard a voice in my head, that's all. It was Lance's voice." 

The princess tensed up before facing me. "How... peculiar. I remember the same thing."

"You do? Did you hear the call for help?" My eyes grew wide. If we both heard the same thing, there was no way this was just a nightmare of mine. It wouldn't have been the first time Lance's voice had drifted involuntarily into my mind. 

"I did. Do you think he is trying to summon us? Could it be telepathy connecting us through the lions?" Allura speculated, scratching her head. She stood and placed the book back on the bookshelf. "I think that's highly possible."

"Yeah, it makes sense," I said, joining her in the castle corridors. "But if he's in trouble, how will we find him?" 

"We reach out to him," Allura said matter-of-factly. "If he can connect to us, then we can just as well connect to him. Here, hold my hands and we'll try together." She held out her slender brown hands and I placed my smaller, pale ones in hers. Like a blanket, her hands closed around mine and we closed our eyes. "Now, think about Lance. Think about reaching him, wherever we may be. Call out to your lion for help."

I nodded, but then realized she couldn't see me. "Ok." Clenching my eyes shut, I thought of Lance, wherever he was, and thought of Green in her dock. _Lance._ His name rang through my head like an echo, like someone had just smashed a gong with some big stick. It hurt to think for a moment. I loosened up and tried again, this time feeling the warm presence in the back of my mind of Green, her gentle purr enveloping me. I thought his name again, this time much more confidently and gently than before, without any wavering or echoes.

 _Pidge, I'm here._ Almost like he was standing there beside me, his voice came in clear as water. 

I sighed and smiled, Allura squeezing my hands in silent praise. _Lance, where are you?_

_I think we're on a Galra battle cruiser of some sort. Lotor's generals are holding us captive._

_Aha! I knew it!_ I almost wanted to grin triumphantly. So, we had no proof that Lotor was a total dirt bag yet, but we were getting close. _Can you tell me where you are?_

 _No,_ Lance said, sighing. _But I know some steps you can take to help find us._

_I'm all ears._

_First, we stopped by the Blade's base. Find out where Keith was staying- it's some random planet not too far away- and see if any of the locals know anything about any Galra ships leaving within the last few days. That's all I know._

_Alright, we'll do our best. Thanks, Lance._ I smiled, hoping I could communicate to him all the hugs and kisses I wanted to pepper him with. 

 _Love you, too, Katie,_ Lance said back, causing me to blush. 

We broke the connection, and I released a breath I didn't know I'd been holding. I smiled- Lance was safe and we weren't crazy about our distrust for Lotor- but Allura looked slightly troubled. 

"Allura, what's wrong?" I asked her.

Her eyes met mine, and she grinned, but I could tell it was fake. "Nothing, Pidge. Don't worry about it. Let's... let's grab Coran and leave. Are you ready?"

I wanted to ask her why we needed to take Coran with us, but the thought vanished. The only thing that occupied my mind then was the need to rescue Lance, Hunk, and Keith. They were fine now, but... given enough time, who knew?

You went across the stars for me, Lance. Now it's my turn.

 


	15. Pidge

"Thank you so much for meeting with us here, Kolivan, under such short notice," Allura spoke, shaking hands with the unhappy looking Blade of Marmora leader. "We are in a bit of a... situation... and we believe Keith is in danger, along with two of his former comrades."

Coran, Allura and I had ridden in the green lion after contacting Kolivan about Keith's whereabouts. He'd said that for safety and confidentiality purposes, he refused to give out information over the coms and would much rather use old-fashioned face-to-face chatter.

"Keith can handle himself," Kolivan said. "Let this be a lesson to him to keep his emotions under control-"

"Excuse me, but my _boyfriend_ is included in that group!" I snapped, leaning towards the tall Galra rather aggressively. Allura, without hesitation, grabbed both of my arms and presented a sweet smile.

"Pidge, _please leave this to me,"_ she said between clenched teeth. She turned back to the man whose expression hadn't changed whatsoever. "My apologies, Kolivan. As you can see, the capture of our friends has been very hard on Pidge. If this were just Keith we were discussing, I would oblige to your demands and leave him to you, but because this involves two of our paladins, I'm afraid I cannot."

There was absolute silence for a few moments before the Blade leader spoke up. "Very well, princess," Kolivan said, handing over a slip of paper. "These are the directions to the location Keith stayed at during his absence. I wish you all good luck on your journey."

Allura took the slip of paper and handed it to me, giving me the go-ahead to plug in the coordinates. I climbed into Green's cockpit and sat in the pilot's seat, taking a moment to cool off. We didn't have time to be diplomatic while my friends were in danger. I appreciated Allura's unnerving ability to remain calm, really, but sometimes I wish she just showed a little more force. We'd just lost precious seconds to a Blade member negotiating over people like they were products to be easily replaced. Seemed like a Keith thing to do, join a whole group of people so awfully loyal to making themselves easily dispensable.

"Alright, Pidge, have you gotten the coordinates?" Allura asked, standing on the floor of the cockpit. Coran stood beside her, twiddling with his mustache.

"Already locked onto the desired location, princess." I began the launch and soon felt the familiar vertigo as we ascended into the air. Or open space. Either way, shooting from one place to another in seconds made my stomach do flips that competed with Hunk's.

"Look, Pidge, I apologize if earlier I made it appear as if I was embarrassing you in front of Kolivan—"

I interrupted, raising a hand. "Oh, no, not at all. I understand."

"Oh. Okay, well, I just wanted to mention that sometimes, when you really want to yell at someone in hopes of getting what you want, you really have to think about how they'd like to hear it."

"The princess is right," Coran said. "You may never believe this, Number Five, but I was quite the outspoken young man in my day, until I learned the hard way that being abrasive never gets us what we want."

"Believe me when I say those three mean a _lot_ to me," Allura continued. "Keith, Lance, and Hunk all became my new family. I know what I said back there may have... downplayed how I feel about them, but when the situation calls for it, saving lives is more important than saving feelings."

I nodded, looking up at Allura with big eyes. "I know, I know. You don't have to explain it to me."

Allura opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated. "You... do?" She tilted her head in slight confusion. 

"What?" I asked. "What's the matter?"

"It's just that... I thought those kinds of things would have had you completely, no offense, off the rails," Allura said. 

"Crazy, temperamental, angry-" Coran began counting off synonyms on his fingers, completely oblivious to the princess glaring at him.

"Thank you, _Coran,"_ Allura said through clenched teeth, rolling her eyes. "I think what I am seeing here is growth."

"Well, I would be the _guardian of plants,"_ I said, shooting finger guns at Allura. We all immediately froze, staring at my fingers.

"Was that a pun _and_ finger guns?" Coran asked. "I think we know who has been hanging around Lance too much!"

"Oh, shut it," I grumbled, turning back to the screen in Green. The lion was approaching an unfamiliar planet, one that appeared rather uncivilized from my research. "We're almost there. Who volunteers to stay with Green and prevent her from getting stolen?"

"I will do the honors!" Coran said happily, ginger mustache twirling upwards as he beamed. 

"Thanks, Coran," I said as we landed about a five minute walk from the town Kolivan gave us the coordinates to. "Allura?"

"Yes, right," the princess said as she reached into a bag that she'd brought and pulled out an Altean blade, handing it to Coran. "Just in case."

With our final round of goodbyes, Allura and I left the lion, each giving her a pat on her big metal snout and going about our way. Allura took up a leisurely walking pace, causing me to have to jog to keep up, occasionally bursting myself forward with my jetpack. There was silence for a few minutes as we each soaked in our surroundings. The air was filled with birdsong and the intoxicating scent of flowers. The distant sounds of village life reached us through the thick forest we walked through, sounds of alien chatter and bustling activity.

It took me a moment to realize Allura was a bit more tense than usual. She looked... sad. I caught up beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder. She turned to me, a blossoming smile on her features, and the sprig of hair not tied up flittering in the breeze.

"Are you alright, Allura?" I asked, concern laced in my voice.

She hesitated, halting completely. The princess pensively gazed around at the trees before shaking her head and looking back at me, blue eyes glassy with tears. "I... I won't lie to you, Pidge. It's just... I love Lotor with my whole heart. I had this future planned, a beautiful wedding. I wanted this wedding to end the ten-thousand-year feud between the Galra and the universe. We... we were going to have a beautiful family and we were going to bring peace... but, after hearing Lance say that Lotor's own generals captured him, Hunk, and Keith, it's getting harder to continue seeing Lotor as the man I fell in love with."

I didn't say anything, no matter how much I wanted to. I simply held onto Allura's hand as we walked, hoping to bring her some comfort. 

I wish I could tell her that this was the worst of Lotor's betrayals.


	16. Pidge

We reached the small village, and from what we could tell, most of the natives seemed rather friendly. Some waved at us and smiled, and we returned the favor. A few came up to us and told us how much they praised us for our heroics- we were wearing our paladin armor, after all- and bashfully returned to their previous doings. 

"What are we looking for, exactly?" Allura asked me. The only trace of our previous conversation now was the trail of salt her tears had left behind and the way her voice kind of trembled. Our hands were still tightly wound as we walked, though I chose to ignore it. 

"Well, I think we should check the room where Keith stayed first for any sort of clue as to where they might be, then take it from there," I said. "We definitely know who captured them, but we have no idea where they're headed or what their motives might be." 

"You are so smart, Pidge," Allura said, sighing sadly. She looked down at the ground, watching absentmindedly as her feet almost shuffled through the dirt. "I only wish I had your observance earlier... so much could have been avoided."

I hated seeing her like this, so defeated and dejected. "Allura, don't say that. I know you know I don't trust Lotor, but you shouldn't lose faith in someone until they are proven to be different. As we say on Earth, everyone is innocent until proven guilty."

"But you don't think so, do you, Pidge?" Allura asked, looking down at me again. "I know you paladins have been hiding something from me for quite a while now. You might be good at hiding your identity, but you were never very good at hiding your emotions. It has been hard for me to admit but I trust you, Pidge, and I know you are right. I know next to nothing about the man I will be marrying, and I was foolish to ever enter into a relationship with him to begin with. I was fooled by his charm and easy-going attitude-"

"We all were, Allura," I interrupted softly. 

"But even as his charm wore off for you, it continued only tightening its hold on me. I admire how you and Lance both have kept whatever it is you know to yourself for the sake of protecting my heart. And I trust you will reveal to me this information when you are ready."

I only blinked in response, unsure of what to say. She accepted my silence as an answer and we continued our stroll through this quaint village.

 

About half an hour had passed when Allura bent down and whispered to me that we were being followed. She straightened back up, refusing to look behind her. I was tempted, but followed her lead.

"Did you see them?" I whispered back.

"Yes," she replied. "A Galra half-breed, it appears. A woman with lavender skin and a peculiar hairstyle."

"And she doesn't look familiar?" 

Allura shook her head. I grabbed her arm and pulled us to a stop. "If she was any danger, I think she would have attacked us by now, don't ya think?"

Allura wanted to protest but went with my pull. To my surprise, the woman following us had an air of familiarity about her. It wasn't her, but her features that reminded me of someone, but I couldn't for the life of me put my finger on it. 

Approaching us with an easy-going smile, the woman held out a hand to Allura. Allura hesitantly shook her hand. "My apologies for making the two of you uncomfortable, if that was the case. My name is Krolia, and I'm looking for someone."

Allura, still skeptical of the woman, said, "Greetings, Krolia. I am Princess Allura of the former Altean Empire. Where are you from and what are you looking for?"

"I've heard of you," Krolia said, her purple eyes meeting mine. "I'm a member of the Blade of Marmora and I am looking for my son-"

"Keith!" I blurted, upon hearing that she was part of the Blade. Her eyes widened.

"Yes, that's- that's his name, how did you know?" 

"No, no, I meant that Keith's in the Blade of Marmora, too," I corrected her. "I have no idea who your son is, sorry."

"He's in the Blade?" Her voice lowered to a mumble, mostly to herself. "Are you... completely positive? Keith Kogane?"

"Yes, he's... also a former paladin of Voltron," I added, looking at the woman closely. She claimed to be Keith's mother. They did look similar, with the same unhappy resting expression and the same soulful eyes. I had no idea how this woman couldn't have known her own son was a paladin of Voltron _and_ a Blade of Marmora member. Though, with the fact that Blade members often wore masks, it could have been possible that she simply knew him but no name or face. And as previous campaigns to spread news of Voltron showed, we weren't as popular as we hyped ourselves up to be. 

"A paladin, my own son?" Her eyes lit up in wonder. "You must know where he is, right? Can you take me to him?"

I laughed nervously, rubbing the back of my neck. "Haha, funny thing is, we don't know where he is, either. See, Keith and two of our paladins were captured by Lotor's generals recently."

"How unfortunate," Krolia said. "Might you require any assistance?" 

I turned to Allura, who shrugged. "I do not see why not."

"Well, I guess you're with us now, Krolia," I said, beckoning for her to come with us. "And while we're looking for him, you've got a lot of catching up to do."


End file.
